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Gate City Officials Unveil Revitalization Plan

Lisa Watson McCarty
Publisher


Gate City's new logo will be
 featured on signs and brochures
 marketing the town

Gate City’s town hall auditorium was filled to excess capacity last week as nearly 70 local residents, business and property owners turned out to learn about the town’s plan for revitalization.

The plan hinges on the receipt of a $700,000 Community Development Block Grant, which local officials are hoping they will be awarded this second time around.

Gate City Mayor Mark Jenkins and members of the Gate City Town Council were joined by 55-plus local citizens, who wanted to see first-hand a timeline for the grant proposal and a peek of what could be in Gate City.

Aaron Arnett of Arnett Muldrow & Associates of Greenville, S.C. gave a PowerPoint presentation on the proposal and showed some suggested improvements in and around the downtown area.  The full Gate City revitalization plan is available on our site in PDF format.

“The attendance tonight is overwhelming,” stated Jenkins as he opened the meeting. “That was a weak point in last year’s application and we are happy to see you.”

In order for Gate City officials to move forward, they need funding, which they are seeking from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Last year, the town sought the same grant but wasn’t awarded funding. The Town of Pound was successfully in its quest last year for a CDBG for downtown improvements and Gate City officials believe their chances are much better this year.

Kalena Porter, a planner with the Lenowisco Planning District Commission, is working with the town on the grant proposal.

“The lack of public support for last year’s proposal hurt the town’s chances,” she explained. “This is a wonderful project and you have a perfect location for this type of project. Gate City is located between the Carter Family Fold and the Ralph Stanley Museum on the Crooked Road.”

At the beginning of the meeting, Porter opened the mandatory public hearing on the grant proposal the town will submit in March. The final public hearing on the town’s CDBG application is set for the regular town council meeting on Tuesday, March 11 in the town hall auditorium.

Arnett asked local residents to return to another public meeting held last night in the town hall auditorium and to prepare a homework project. The town is seeking a slogan that can be used along with its new logo as part of a “branding” campaign.

Market brand is described as a graphic identity. At last night’s second public meeting, local residents suggested numerous slogans that could be used for the town to help identify it in marketing promotions.

Many of the physical recommendations in Arnett’s presentation were based on the original team’s assessment of the physical condition of the town in addition to input from stakeholders. The town was assessed in terms of overall character, districts the downtown core, gateways, physical infrastructure including streetscape and public spaces, architectural resources and natural features.

Arnett said because of its location within the Appalachians, Gate City is blessed with outstanding natural features and resources. Most distinct are the hills and mountains that surround the city. In addition, the river stretches the length of the community.

“While it is not a highly visible water source, the vegetation along its banks defines it as a “green” corridor through Gate City,” he said. “The surrounding hills around Gate City contain a significant amount of exposed rock, which adds to the character of the community.”

He continued that the town is nestled in the valley below the Route 23 Bypass and has a distinct “sense of place” within the region. The downtown is visible from the bypass and has two distinct gateway points – one to the south at the intersection with Kane Street and one to the north with the intersection of West Jackson Street. At both gateways, it is quite apparent to first time visitors that one is “arriving someplace.”

“While the surrounding environment provides for a distinct gateway, additional and more distinct signage that capitalizes on Gate City’s unique character would be helpful in announcing one’s arrival to the town,” Arnett said.

When coming into Gate City, the Kane Street corridor is an important gateway connection to downtown.

“Like most communities, the character of the Kane Street corridor is comprised mainly of individual strip commercial businesses, some of which are well-maintained while others are not,” he explained. “While sidewalks are provided along some stretches of this corridor, for the most part it is not pedestrian friendly. The overall image of Kane Street is not a positive one, especially when compared with the historic character of downtown.”

The most distinct area in Gate City is located along East and West Jackson Streets in its downtown core. The street has an almost continuous façade of historic architecture and distinct arrival points from the east, west and from Kane Street.

Arnett said the nearby hills form a backdrop to the downtown contributing to its strong sense of place. In addition to the Jackson Street core area, there is an “emerging” district centered on Water Street with several active businesses and opportunities for new businesses.

However, there are some significant grade challenges from Water Street to Jackson Street. Similarly, but less defined, Arnett said, is the area centered on Tucker Street to the east. It is a transition area between the residential areas and downtown and offers the potential to be a complementary district to downtown.

In addition to having a strong physical structure, he noted, downtown Gate City has an authentic “feel.” During the day, many people appear to do their business downtown, whether associated with the courthouse, the restaurants, shops or other businesses.

“The result is a fairly active downtown during the day,” Arnett remarked.

Gate City also has a significant amount of public parking resources. Most spaces are located in the town parking lot south of Water Street. While there are plenty of spaces, the grade change between Jackson Street and this parking lot prevent many people from using it. In addition, there are few signs directing visitors to the lot.

Arnett explained that significant streetscape improvements have been implemented in Gate City over the past 20 years along Jackson Street and, for the most part, the streetscape has held up well. Trees that used to be planted in tree pits along the street have been removed. The few that do remain are inadequate.

He said the sidewalk areas are in need of shade, however, to provide relief during the hot summer months and suggested that some of the distinct lights downtown be moved to other locations.

“While the light fixtures are attractive, they are too closely spaced,” Arnett said. “This can actually be a benefit, however, as some could be removed and used to extend the streetscape beyond the core area.”

He noted that many of the shop owners have created outdoor displays along the Jackson Street sidewalk, which helps enliven the pedestrian experience and should be encouraged and expanded.

“While lights, pavement, trees and sidewalk displays help to create a pleasing pedestrian experience, the most positive contributing factor to the downtown is the architecture,” Arnett said. “For several blocks of Jackson Street, the buildings form a continuous façade. Varied heights, building materials and colors, create a colorful composition for the downtown. Unfortunately, several buildings are vacant and/or in poor repair, with no means of protection.”

Even though many of the buildings in downtown Gate City are not in perfect shape, these could be corrected over time.

“The primary problems are overall maintenance and architectural changes that have compromised the historic character of the structure,” he continued. “While these conditions may exist on a building that is in good structural shape, they detract from the quaint historic environment of downtown Gate City. These appearance issues create a blighting impact on the rest of the town.”

According to Arnett’s report, nearly 58 percent of the 104 buildings are in substandard condition with 15 percent labeled as in dilapidated condition.

“Despite these conditions, downtown Gate City has a great stock of historic commercial architecture that could be rehabilitated and preserved,” he commented.

Joe Coates, who is the chairman of the town’s economic development and revitalization committee, highlighted some successes the town has implemented. He thanked the mayor and town council for having the foresight to begin revitalization and said the group was “progressive and forward thinking.”

Coates called the town’s master plan his committee’s “Bible” and that is was chock full of great ideas that could improve the town. He added any progress underway in the town was directly related to the master plan.

Included on his list were: downtown light poles were repainted, renovation of the Gate City Theater, development of the Gate City Performing Arts Center, Clinch Mountain MusicFest, inventory of all buildings, working on implementation into the Main Street program, sidewalk enhancements along Park Street and the Grogan Park expansion.

In 2006, Gate City secured a DHCD planning grant for $35,000 to create an economic restructuring plan and physical improvement strategy for downtown. These two planning components make up the Downtown Revitalization Plan for Gate City outlining a roadmap for downtown revitalization. The Gate City Revitalization Plan focuses on four main points:

• Physical Improvements: Downtown Gate City will get a facelift including clean streets, attractive streetscape and renovated buildings.

• Economic Restructuring: Gate City’s downtown will become a regional shopping district for the area offering specialty shops, dining and events.

• Marketing and Promotion: Gate City will have a clear marketing vision promoting its musical heritage, its strategic location and its rich historical ties.

• Organization: Downtown allies will be active partners with the town to promote, recruit and enhance downtown Gate City.

Arnett noted that the vision statements and each of the recommendations outlined in the master plan are based on the Main Street four-point methodology for downtown revitalization. These techniques are proven mechanisms aimed and building vibrant, attractive and economically stable communities. The Downtown Revitalization Plan specifically targets the Community Development Block Grant objectives including preventing and eliminating physical and economic blight, particular as it relates to business district revitalization.

Gate City doesn’t have the best record in terms of landing CDBG funds. The town has submitted nine proposals and been awarded three times. Two of those dealt with renovations at the town’s sewer plant. The third award kicked off the revitalization project.

The Virginia Community Development Block Grant (VCDBG) is a federally-funded grant administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) since 1982.  DHCD provides funding to eligible units of local government (non-entitlement communities only) for projects that address critical community needs including housing, infrastructure, and economic development.

In 2008, there is $16.2 million available for community improvement grants and $500,000 for planning grants. Community improvement grants include Construction-Ready Water and Sewer Fund ($1 million), Community Economic Development Fund ($2.5 million), Community Development Innovation Fund ($2.75 million), Urgent Need Open Submission ($1 million) and Competitive Grants ($10.5 million).

Gate City is seeking $700,000 (the maximum amount) in the competitive grant category.

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